6 tips to enjoy teaching an exam course

John Wolf
Teacher speaking to a student with an open book on a desk

Who gets excited about English exam classes?

You likely love teaching English, it’s fun, dynamic – almost chaotic at times – and provides the kind of autonomy necessary to be creative and driven.

Some lessons are far less enjoyable than others - case in point: exam courses. Who gets excited about taking, not to mention preparing for, an English exam?

Nevertheless, it’s all part of the job and requires finding ways to make exam courses effective for students and enjoyable for teachers.

Job satisfaction is heavily dependent on our effectiveness as teachers and feeling like we actually accomplish something in the classroom - and is a key factor in avoiding burnout (Maslach & Leiter, 2016).

While passing an exam is a concrete, achievable goal - a task we are able to accomplish - it also serves as a stressor, a general source of tension and anxiety. So how can we turn this around and enjoy teaching exam courses?

Tips to enjoy teaching an exam course
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1. Deflate the pressure of the exam

There’s no magical way to stop students from feeling stressed about an upcoming English exam, so the best strategy in the classroom is to prepare them as best as possible.

As well as using exam preparation course books, you should show them videos of the speaking exams or direct them to online resources such as .

Outside the classroom, encourage language students to take a break and not leave everything until the last minute. They could even try the to help them focus.

2. Ready your repertoire

All language teachers have a few tricks up their sleeves: a bank of activities we use on a regular basis that we know are effective and enjoyable.

This also applies to exam courses - just because your students are studying for an exam, it doesn’t mean you can’t have fun in class!

Try games like ‘ to review vocabulary, or do a to make reading papers more interactive.

Whatever your favorite classroom activities are, try them out. Just remember to give them an exam twist.

3. Delegate task creation

It's important to always be finding ways for students to take part in teaching activities. Asking students to create their own exam tasks is a great way for them to exercise autonomy, and learn more about the format of the test.

Allow students to find their own texts and create comprehension questions to go with it. Alternatively, they could turn it into a Use of English exercise by removing words from the text and having their partners try and complete the gaps.

If you’re struggling to find interesting or relevant photos for the speaking paper, get students to bring in their own pictures - or use the ones they have on their phones. Once they know how the exam works, they can even try creating their own questions to go with them.

4. Monitor progress

Tutorials are a great tool, where students feel comfortable sharing their feelings with the teacher about how they are progressing.

Get them to write down three things they like about the course and one thing they think could be better.

You can use this in your 1-to-1 tutorials or use it to spark a group discussion. There’s a good chance they’ll all say similar things, and it will allow you to do more of what they love and also to address any doubts they have.

5. Manage exam practice

Don’t overload language students with exam tasks, especially at the start of the school year. Many students won’t, in the beginning stages of the course, be prepared for these tasks. Failing or getting bad scores early on can be demotivating and can impact their confidence long term.

Like taking sips of hot coffee, exam practice should be dished out in small doses, with frequency increasing as the exam approaches.

6. Mark writing efficiently

Instead of marking each mistake on every piece of writing, identify common and repeated errors, and focus on those as a whole class. Not only will this lead to better results for students, but it significantly reduces marking time too.

Along with this strategy, having a clear system that our students understand is also highly effective for saving time and reducing stress. Create a checklist they can use to assess their own work before submitting it, or create a code you can use so they can easily identify what your feedback relates to (grammar, vocabulary, register, etc.).

Remember to also give feedback on things they do well, and always give them the opportunity to submit a final draft with your feedback taken into account.

Enjoyment is contagious

The energy you bring to these lessons is often shared by the students. On days when you feel lethargic or don’t exactly love your job, students may express similar emotions or behavior. This also applies to the days when you love your job and feel energetic. Enjoyment is contagious, like a yawn or laughter. The more we, as English teachers, can enjoy our work, the more our students will enjoy their lessons.

References:

Maslach, C., Leiter, M.P. (2016). World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103-111.

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    • upper-intermediate (B2/C1 level) students need to know about 7,500-9,000 words.

    That’s a big jump in numbers. But the real challenge is that those 5,000+ new words are not very frequent. Consequently, students don’t encounter them very often, making it difficult to recall them and leap from one level to the next.

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    2. Provide memorable first encounters:You never get a second chance to make a first impression. So, ensure your student's first encounter with a new word is as memorable as possible.
    3. Teach effective word-learning strategies:Provide your students with valuable tools, tactics and resources so that they can learn new words outside the classroom, too.
    4. Organize repeat encounters:Vocabulary works on a “use it or lose it” basis, so ensure your students encounter the vocabulary you want them to learn repeatedly.

    How to teach effective word-learning strategies

    There are three steps to teach students how to learn new words effectively:

    1. Help learners maximize their exposure to English and find opportunities to use English outside the classroom

    Thanks to the internet and technology, there are many ways that students can engage with the English language outside the classroom.

    However, simple exposure to a new language is not enough – it takes much longer and is less effective than active learning. When students do something with the language they’re exposed to; it is far more memorable.

    That’s why it’s crucial for teachers to help their students seek out English in their own time and use the language, turning passive exposure into active learning.

    • Encourage students to read, listen and view things that they’re interested in or passionate about in English. For example, introduce them to new blogs, podcasts, YouTube videos, or TV series that fit their interests – since personalization leads to more effective learning.
    • Help students find ways to use English in different ways. For example, they can start a learning diary, make to-do lists in English, write social media posts, and create word cards to practice their writing. For speaking, they can record voice memos or video stories, take part in Zoom discussions, or participate in speaking projects and live classes.

    2. Provide ways for students to discover the meaning of new words

    It’s crucial to help students improve their guesswork. Instead of asking online translators to translate every time they encounter a new word, they should be able to guess the meaning of new vocabulary differently.

    • One approach is to look at the morphology of words and consider word families. For example, you can ask your students to brainstorm words with a common root. Or, you can have them identify and practice common suffixes.
    • Explore “true friends” or words that are similar in English and your student's native language.
    • Help your students figure out how to guess the meaning of a word from the context. To do this, you must ensure that your students don’t just hear or read new words but also put them into use.

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    • Ask students to collect ten new words that they’re exposed to throughout the week and bring them to class, like a “show and tell” for words.
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    This helps to connect learning inside and outside the classroom, and it’s fun!

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    Lastly, it’s important to teach students memory tricks or mnemonics so they can retain the new words they encounter.